Harrogate Town AFC

Watch the Gaffer's pre-match press conference ahead of final pre-season contest... 



On being ready to get the season underway…

Yeah I think we are at that stage. We've worked really hard on the physical side this pre-season and had some hard pre-season fixtures as well so we feel well equipped to get the season underway.

On welcoming Doncaster after we spent time at the Keepmoat early last season…

They were great for us. We really needed their help while we had the change of our pitch and it was vital for us that they were there for us.

On the importance of having home fans for Sunday…

I stressed before and after the Darlington game just how important it is to have home supporters with us and looking ahead to Rochdale, it'll be a game with a big atmosphere. We don't want another game without fans.

On the importance of set pieces…

I think throughout the leagues it's so important you get your set pieces right, both offensively and defensively. We haven't practiced them too much in the off season, maybe that's the secret for why we've started scoring them the other day.

I think we don't want to give too much away ahead of our match with Rochdale so we've just put the ball in the box and attacked it well. I think that's half the battle anyway, yet in the tight games they're inevitable in league football, they can be won and lost by the execution of your set plays.

On Doncaster being one of the final chances for player's to stake a claim to start against Rochdale…

It is. We always say the stage is at training if you're not playing in the games so that's still important. It's good to have a dress rehearsal the week before and I think we are ready.

We've had this break and it almost seems prolonged now compared to how quickly we got into the start of last season. It's been nice to have the rest bite but now we're ready.

On the test Doncaster will bring…

They're a very good team and had an excellent run last season, especially in the first half of the campaign. They're a good footballing team and we expect them to play 4-3-3 based on the coverage we've seen.

Again we're looking at a higher caliber team in terms of division so we're expecting a tough battle. These games are designed to help us with our focus and concentration and ability to handle the pressure of the higher standard of opponent. If we do that, hopefully we'll be well prepared for next week.

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